Sausage casings

cookn biker

I went with natural hog casings. Package doesn't tell the grade or diameter. It does say will make 25-30 pounds.
This will be a fun adventure!

stike

Hog casings are all the same size.
Have fun!

(frikkin iPhone 'corrected' my typing again)

cookn biker

I was hoping you or Wayne would comment. My book has almost too much info on this. Which is a good thing.

loco_engr

Molly:

Do you have a clone of Polidori?

cookn biker

Not yet. :evil:
I am going to Kings Soopers to order 2 cases of it.(If the manager will....they better) If that works out, I can do another order closer to Denver fest, if you want.

loco_engr

Molly:

I heard last year that a super mart carries it not that
far from the Drury Inn. If that is true no need for you to go to the expense. Appreciate the thought tho . . . :pinch:

Little Chef

Molly: That's a fine choice! Did they have lamb casings, too? Are they packed in salt?

cookn biker

No lamb. Packed in salt. My book, http://www.amazon.com/Great-Sausage-Recipes-Meat-Curing/dp/0025668609/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305157170&sr=1-1

said they'd be packed in a liquid solution.

Little Chef

Rinse 'em off, and soak 'em for an hour with a couple water changes. Before stuffing, run some water through the inside, too. The brine packed are harder to find. Fun stuff!

Austin Egghead

Make sure the casing is completely clean. Wash even it is labeled pre-cleaned..trust you nose. Also try not to have air pockets during filling process. Have fun...you are in for an adventure!. :laugh:

cookn biker

Thanks Joan. Adventure ready!! :laugh: :laugh:

Hoss

Good Luck!!!

cookn biker

It'll be fun with Kari, Jon and me. :woohoo:

WessB

I have used 2 different sizes of natural hog casings for italian style sausages...and sheep casings for breakfast link sized sausages...soaking and rinsing is the key...no big deal really...will be some of the best sausge you ever ate..

Hoss

:S :blink: :silly: Wish I was there!!!

Desert Oasis Woman

:woohoo:

this is going to be FUN!! :laugh:

ranger ray

the easy way to rinse em.... is to slip one end over the sink faucet and let water run through..... it takes out the twists too.... let 'em soak in a bowl of water for a while to ...... you'll get less "blowout" when stuffing....if you're going to use rytec's recipes..... cut way back on the salt..... his salt content will have ya growing antler's after your first batch....i started making sausage 33 years ago using that book as a reference....( you'll figure out what you like and can adjust your recipes from there.... good luck..... it's indeed an adventure.... i love it!....i started with a little Oster,"home center" grinder/stuffer.....( what used to take hours now takes me few minutes) fortunately, i now have acquired all the high end gear..... if you really like it..... it's worth the investment.....the only down side to the whole thing....... you end up becoming a "free" sausage vendor.....i used to make a hundred pounds of kielbasa at time( with my little unit) i only make batches of 30 pounds now for personal use........ got tired of the cartoon character , "wimpy from Popeye" syndrome....." i'll take five rings.... and i'll gladly pay you on tuesday"....that was in my early days....the egg makes smoking a few rings very easy....rr

ranger ray

Wess.... you're right! ..... once you start making you own.... store bought.... just does not cut it.... try dicing onions and peppers and mixing it in with the meat...? and then stuff it....ray

nuynai

Most people don't know this but there are various kinds of casings. Natural and Collagen. Natural is made from animal intestines, lamb, hog, etc. Collagen is made from processed beef hide. This is used for heavy sausages, that natural casing would not be strong enough to support during smoking or cooking. If you eat a piece of sausage with a tough, harder casing, that's collagen. Most fresh sausages use natural. As previously mentioned, Great Sausage Making, is the go to book on sausages and instruction. It's that's detailed that most will never use them all and it has products for the professional processor. Check out sausagemaker.com. They have numerous casings, sizes and they tell you what they are used for. Here we can get fresh packed casings in salt from local butchers. All you have to do is soak them in water for several hours, draining with fresh water ever hour or so. A tip I found with collagen casings are, when putting them on the sausage stuffer tube, is to wet the end with water, as this softens it up, expands it and makes it easier to get on without any problem or frustration.
Hope this helps and good luck.